Wife Mother Runner Glass Slipper Challenge Archives

Glass Slipper Challenge – Day 3 Half Marathon

March 14, 2017

The last day of the Glass Slipper Challenge weekends ends with the half marathon. I took the time the night before to lay out all my race gear, get my food and tea prepped, and had most of my bag packed for the trip home. All I had to do was get up when my alarm went off at 3:30 to plan on being on the road for 4:30. I was on the road at 4:30 but there were major traffic issues. I didn’t arrive to my parking spot until 5:21… the race starts at 5:30. However, as I was making my way to the corrals, Mandy sent me a text and then I got a Tweet from runDisney that due to the traffic issue, they were going to delay the start of the race. I was concerned about that because I had a very tight window of time for when I could finish the race, shower at my hotel and be to the airport for my 12:20 flight home (more on that later).

I got down to the corrals after the start of the race. I was in Corral G so I wasn’t worried; but I did run into a problem. As the corrals moved forward, the volunteers for the corralled sections wouldn’t let me move forward to Corral G. I was stuck in Corral H. Had I been there 5 minutes earlier I could have snaked my way up to where Mandy was. I told her I was stuck and that I would meet up with her. She told me she’d stay to the right of the road so I could find her. My corral released at 6:01 and I kept a pretty consistent run the entire first mile. I stopped for a picture of the mile marker and then continued over the bridge and on the road towards Magic Kingdom. With no sighting of Mandy, I called her. She and Kenn had to make a pit stop and I found them and meet up with them on World Drive. As you can see from my splits, my first mile was quicker because I ran most of it to catch up with them.

After I caught up to Mandy we ran past the photo stops which were the Pirates of the Caribbean and further up was the heroes. We took our usual pictures at the Magic Kingdom toll gate and then continued to run towards the Magic Kingdom. Again, the plan was to save our time for photo opportunities in the Magic Kindom. The photos along the way were the Incredibles, the Evil Queen, Malificent and then the drummers were at the TTC. My favorite DJ was on the overpass leading to the Contemporary.

Once we got into the Magic Kingdom we planned on using a real bathroom, and then I knew to look for Sam Ganow from the Mickey Milers and Kenny from Team Shenanigans. Found them and proceeded on towards the back of the park to Fantasyland where we wanted to see who was going to be out for photos. We skipped past Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum and found Gaston. He was the longest wait for us. This was between miles 5 and 6. The Beast was the next photo stop after Gaston; but the line for him was VERY long, so I took a selfie with the Beast in the background. We ran through the castle and towards Frontierland. We skipped the photo with Woody and Jessie and ran on towards backstage. Sadly, because the train was being refurbished it was not on the tracks on the way to the backstage area. They had Cinderella and Prince Charming at the large float backstage; but that was a very long line as well. We continued up through cone alley and tried to run as much of that as we could to make up for time we spent taking photos in the Magic Kingdom.

After cone alley were the Penguins from Mary Poppins. Then I found Richard from the Floridian! I found him during the marathon weekend as well! The gentlemen singers were on Floridian Way as well as vacation Genie on the golf course. I had been tracking my friend Kim and saw that she was catching up to us and I spotted her just before mile 8! We stopped for a quick picture and then pushed on. This part of the race gets boring and I had a plane to catch so I didn’t want to slow down at the end. We set up little mini plans to make up time and make that portion of the race course more tolerable. We’d run up to a water stop and then walk. Then run up to the mile marker and then resume our run/walk intervals. After mile 10 we decided to run the entire ramp up to the bridge and walk across the bridge and then run downhill towards mile 11. It was good to keep pushing forward because by that point in the race it is easy to decide to walk it in for the end.

Finally we were in Epcot and there were a few chances where we wanted to get some photos. We took one with Daisy just near the turn around, and then attempted another jump photo in front of the waterfall. Then we brought it in for the finish. I HAD to get my Fitz hug before the finish line and then we took pictures with Donald and Goofy!

Our fourth Glass Slipper Challenge accomplished. Just one more year to go in hopes to get legacy status. With the announcement of a new name for the challenge next year we aren’t sure that we will be recognized for doing five consecutive Princess weekend races in a row. Same holds true for Dumbo; so I think once Dumbo comes around we will know what the result of that will be. But I still enjoy this weekend with Mandy and Kenn and it’s a nice race to run mid-winter to keep my mileage up. Considering I hadn’t run longer than 4 miles since the WDW marathon, I felt great during these races.

Throwback Thursday 2016 Princess Glass Slipper Challenge

February 23, 2017

The 2016 Princess Glass Slipper Challenge weekend came and went as quickly as they always do! Unfortunately, life also came and went so fast that I never got my blog posted with that race recap. Fast forward to this year and I can give you a Throw Back Thursday version of last year’s race. Mandy and I ran this race together because we are trying to get five Princess Glass Slipper Challenges done in hopes of obtaining legacy status. Sadly Diana wasn’t at this race weekend with us.

I flew down Friday afternoon, went to the expo for my bib and to shop around, and then went over to my hotel to check in. I traditionally like
to spend my first night that I arrive at Disney Springs. I like to get the tomato soup from Earl of Sandwich and shop at my favorite little shop
in the Marketplace Co-op, Tren-D. Then head over to my room to lay out my 10K race costume and get settled in for the night.

I met Kenn and Mandy for the start of the 10K. Our corral took off at 5:51 a.m. and we took 2 hours and 14 minutes to get the race done. We
spent every minute of that race having fun and getting pictures taken with as many characters as possible. In France we were in line for photos
with Lumiere and Cogsworth, a picture I really wanted to take; but there were officials on bikes yelling out to everyone that the sweepers were
coming and if we continued to wait in line we were putting ourselves at risk of being taken off the course. Even though Mandy and I knew we
could outrun the balloon ladies; we didn’t want to run the risk of losing our challenge medals. So we took off and ran back towards the balloon
ladies who were crossing the International Gateway and heading over to the Boardwalk. We continued through the Boardwalk; took some photos of the balloon ladies that we were chasing, and then ran towards the finish line.

The half marathon took off at 5:49 a.m. and we took 3 hours and 32 minutes to finish. Again, we were running this race for fun and not for time. We were in corral G and the last corral was P so we had plenty of time between us and the balloon ladies. This course is the typical course that runs from Epcot towards the Magic Kingdom entrance, under the Contemporary water way and into Magic Kingdom. We ran through the castle and then back towards cone ally. At this part of the race I feel relief because I know we just have to run back to Epcot and not towards Animal Kingdom like the marathon course does. As we were getting closer to the end of the course we were running with Kenn and were actually running up the overpass hills.

I’m looking forward to running with Mandy and Kenn again. We haven’t run together since the Dark Side Challenge last April so it will be good to catch up! I am also looking forward to some warm Florida weather. The cold winter months in CT are getting to me and I need to see some green and feel the warm sun. I’m also looking forward to Kona breakfast with all the ladies of Team Shenanigans on Saturday!

View the 10K race recap video

View the Half Marathon race recap video

runDisney Princess Half Marathon Weekend Merchandise

February 17, 2016

Are you going to the Princess Half Marathon this weekend? One of the best parts of the weekend besides the races is the shopping! The expo opens on Thursday at 10:00 a.m. at ESPN Wide World of Sports.

The Disney Parks Blog released some previews of some of the race merchandise that will be offered. Every time I attend the race weekend I am sure to pick up a magnet, a sweaty band and a wine glass or tumbler if there are any left.

I really like this purple sweatshirt hoodie shown above they have for the Princess race weekend.

I love these shorts shown above along with the Jacket, but my closet is overflowing with rundisney clothing I have to cap it at some point. I do like the Sweaty Band shown above though! So that’ll be on my shopping list.

I had been trying to get an I Did It Shirt at all of the races; but now that we get nice shirts from the official race swag bag that are usually the tech materials; I don’t bother with the cotton I Did It shirts. But I always liked their designs.

And of course the Dooney and Bourke are always a favorite; but I am passing on the Princess design. This one just doesn’t do it for me. I have my eye on a particular bag that I am saving my coins up in a jar for!

The Glass Slipper Challenge merchandise is what I usually favor out of everything else since I have run the past two Glass Slipper Challenges. I am hoping to become a legacy holder after this year and the next to years. Legacy status is when you run the races from the first year they started it and every 5, 10, 15, etc.

What will you be shopping for at the Expo? Perhaps the new shoes released by New Balance? This race weekend New Balance is doing something different. The Virtual Queue is allowing for sign ups the evening before each expo day at 7:00. (I believe it is West Coast time because I checked and it wasn’t open yet at 8:45 EST). So if you plan to be at the expo on Thursday, February 18th, you can sign up with the queue Wednesday night. You may only use the service once during the weekend. All other times you can walk up and wait in line. I have found in the past that when I arrive later in the day I have no issues going right in and trying on and purchase shoes.

The expo hours are the following:

10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 18, 2016

9:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. on Friday, February 19, 2016

9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 20, 2016

I plan on going to the expo around 5:00 on Friday after I land. Hope to see some of you there!

What Have I Been Up To?

February 6, 2016

It’s been a little less than a month since the Dopey Challenge was over and I’m still getting out and enjoying my time on the roads. Some days I have been choosing to walk rather than run. Part of it is because I was fighting off a cold. I typically don’t care and just run through it; but I figured what do I have to prove? Why not just walk and enjoy the time out there?

We have been having the strangest weather. One weekend it will be 50 degrees and everything has a hint of Spring on it; then we will get a snow squal and everything is coated with white; only to melt a day later. Then the following weekend we will have a snow storm dump 12 inches on it – 7 days later 50 degrees and all the snow is gone. We are now on the colder trend of weather and the talk is that there will be more snow coming this week.

On Thursday I went for a walk. I planned on getting in at least 4 miles. The weather forecasters kept changing their forecast throughout the day from what was to be a potential 1″ dusting for our area to a much more significant snow. I knew something was up when I was out on my walk because all of the geese were in the fields gathering up food. I took a detour from my usual walk and went into a cornfield and followed it back into a section I have never walked before. I wanted to mix things up a little bit. I was enjoying my Laugh or Go Crazy podcast and felt like I was getting some soul healing that I was needing.

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The following day the kids had a snow day. I worked all day and then around 4:30 I needed to get out of the house and run. The roads were plowed and the kids were playing in the snow. I was antsy for my fresh air fix. Although it was slippery in spots I really enjoyed my time on the road. It was just before the sun set and the views were spectacular!

A first for me – I took a picture without make up on!

So what am I up to race-wise? I have been averaging between 3-6 mile runs but need to get in a little bit of a longer run to prepare for the runDisney Princess Half Marathon weekend Glass Slipper Challenge I am running with Mandy. I was planning to do the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon in Washington D.C. in March but am going to pass on that since it is a long drive for a half marathon. I was going to turn it into a family trip; but we want to spend more time in the city and enjoy the sights. The runDisney Star Wars Dark Side Challenge is taking place in April so I will run that with Diana and Mandy and it takes place during our family vacation to Disney.

I haven’t made decisions yet for my other race plans. Since I am passing on the D.C. race, I will run the Chicago Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon because I was given the bib by Team Chocolate Milk. I wasn’t sure that I was going to want to run that race again; but I loved Chicago and had a great time with Susana Cruz so I hope we can hook up again and maybe I can encourage some of my other friends to run this race also.

I did toss my hat into the ring for the sweepstakes for the New York City Marathon. So now I wait to hear if that is going to fall into my plans for “not running a Fall marathon”. If that does turn up as a Yes then I have some thinking to do. I believe it also falls on the same weekend as the runDisney Wine and Dine Half Marathon. So I may defer for the following year if I do get into NYC. Again, time will tell.

So that’s what I have been up to lately.

Disney Dumbo Double Dare Airport Recommendations

August 13, 2014

Last year was my first time flying to Anaheim to participate in the Inaugural Dumbo Double Dare race weekend. I watched the flights for that race for several months. I chose to fly into John Wayne Airport (SNA) because it was closer to Anaheim and LAX. Considering I was flying there alone and renting a car (for the first time at the age of 41), I didn’t want to have to drive from LA to Anaheim. I was lucky that all of my flights were on time.

I arrived on schedule to California and got off the plane (with carry ons only) and headed down to the car rental area. I learned a few lessons about car rentals. It is best to sign up for the Express check-out where you just have to find a car in your price level and then you can take it from the lot and sign out without having to go to the main car rental desk and the whole process of checking out a car. I also learned that you DON’T need all the extra insurance they offer to you.

Next, when you get into the car, set up your GPS ahead of time so you are all set to hit the road with the navigation system telling you where to go right away. As I drove out of the airport I was sitting on the entrance to a highway and I had NO idea where I was going. I pulled over and fumbled through my papers to get the address of the hotel and get my phone working with the GPS and the car charger and Bluetooth so that I could call home to my family while travelling to my destination. That’s another bad idea. Get settled and comfortable with where you are going before you start making your phone calls! I was sitting there sweating, in a little Fiat with huge airplanes flying over head while I was getting myself oriented.

Once I started driving it was ok, The route to Disneyland is pretty easy and quick. The trip back to the airport was even quicker. It felt more direct and was much less traffic on Sunday of Labor Day weekend as opposed to Friday at 5:00 on a holiday weekend. I planned on returning home the same day as the race so that I could spend the Labor Day holiday with my family. I took a 1:00 flight home so I had to rush back to my off-site hotel to shower, eat and finish packing up the last of my things. I did have enough time and plan on taking a flight home the same day of the race this year as well. I don’t have to rush as much because I will be staying on property at the Disneyland Hotel and my flight is also at 3:00 p.m. I wanted to have time after the race this year to shower and enjoy a meal with my friends before heading out.

I really enjoyed this race. Out of all the Disney races I think this was my favorite so far. I have done the marathon in 2013 as my first marathon, Dumbo Double Dare (2013), Tower of Terror (2013), The 10K and full marathon (2014), Glass Slipper Challenge (2014). Out of all of those races, I liked The Dumbo Race Weekend because of the race course. Out of all the races I did in Disneyland and Disney World these races had the most time in the park. I had awesome photo opportunities at these races and got to see the parks. I hadn’t purchased a park pass for this trip but was totally ok with that. I loved seeing what I had seen while in the parks for the races and enjoyed the races thoroughly (except for the last 4 miles of the half marathon because of the terrible heat and humidity).

Besides the heat, this event was a great time for me. I loved travelling alone to a far off city, having some quiet time to myself, venturing out to Downtown Disney and participating in several meetups. Hooking up with my friends Mandy and Kenn Remo and their two sons for dinners and the races. And I also enjoyed shopping for my family at Downtown Disney. Each runDisney event has its own unique characteristics. I would like to one day participate in the Tink, Avengers, or Star Wars races out West, but for now I’ll stick to Dumbo.

Virtual Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend Blog Hop Directory

Volunteering for Races

April 3, 2014

Race volunteering has been something that has been on my mind this year. I have seen the volunteers at the Disney races and listened to some pod casts that talk about the volunteering options at races and I want to see what this side of a race looks like. It is so easy to overlook what happens during a race. You register, pick up your packet, show up to the race and park, walk to the start line, run your race, take water, finish the race, take a medal, eat food at the end, go home. Do you ever notice how many people are there to make that day easier for you? From the parking attendants to the people at packet pick up, those handing out water, giving you your medal or offering aid if you are hurt.

When I was running the Princess Glass Slipper Challenge I noticed something. There were some volunteers who were VERY happy to be there and there were some who halfheartedly passed out the water and Power Ade. Quite frankly I was surprised when I saw on particular volunteer who didn’t even look like she wanted to be there! I thought when you volunteered it was because you wanted to go and have a good time and cheer on the runners. There are some great perks to being a volunteer. I heard that when you volunteer at Disney you get a park pass, a t shirt (or jacket if you are a manager), food and water and a guarantee of a good time. Other race organizations offer discounts on future races.

Since I did not make it into the NYC marathon this year I am considering the 9+1 option for guaranteed entry into 2015. That is running 9 of their races and volunteering 1 which exclude the NYC marathon but does include some of the events the night before and the expo. That’s a lot for having to go to NYC to volunteer so I am researching into it. Reviewing my calendar, locating where these races are and seeing what options I have.

Have you volunteered for NYC race? Have you volunteered for any race? How was your experience? Would you do it again? I’d love to hear about it!

Do You Have A Bucket List?

April 2, 2014

The term bucket list used to annoy me, but it is the best way to describe the things that you wish to do in life one day. I was thinking about this today when I went to the Ragnar site to see when they were holding their races near me. Then it occured to me. This is something I should put on my bucket list. Then I got to thinking, what else is there that I would like to do but haven’t really pursued yet. I do want to do a biathlon which is a run, bike, run race. There was one in Madison for the past few years but I can’t find it now to register for it. Do I want to do a triathalon? Iron Man? No, I don’t believe Iron Man will be in my future, but I think I want to stetch myself a little and try a bike-type race.

I had a wow moment last night when I realized that I had registered for another marathon this year. After I did my first marathon, the question was, is this a one and done? But no, I signed up for the next Disney World marathon for the following year. Once that was over I wanted another, and now I have three this year. So that’s kind of cool to me to see that I am expanding my experience and training to do multiple marathons per year. My marathon training used to be something I only did in the fall, now it’s more of a September through May event.

I am doing my first 10K in Connecticut this spring. I need to gain a fast time with a 10K so I can submit it for better corral placement at the Disney races for the 10Ks. This is a race that I will to continue to improve upon throughout the year so I can submit faster times for each 10K. These races are required for the Dumbo Double Dare, the Minnie 10K in January and the Princess Glass Slipper Challenge in February.

I’ll have to put more thought into what I may want to add to my bucket list.

Do you have a bucket list?

Disney Princess Half Marathon Video

February 25, 2014

This past weekend I went to Disney for the Glass Slipper Challenge. I still have to write up a recap of the whole weekend, but I wanted to share the video that Eddie McCoy, a new running friend, created of the 1/2 marathon we ran on Sunday. To date, this has been the funnest race I have run so far!

http://vimeo.com/87525101

Tag: Glass Slipper Challenge